


Practical Al and Scholar Will short stories

by Elrin



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: F/M, Umbrella Corporation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23876980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elrin/pseuds/Elrin
Summary: Wesker and Birkin stories, taking place over many years in the Resident Evil timeline.
Relationships: Jill Valentine/Albert Wesker
Comments: 11
Kudos: 20





	1. Working late

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been writing these Wesker fanfictions for quite a while, and decided to finally put them together, but in separate chapters. More stories will be added later. Practical Al and Scholar Will are canon nicknames, by the way.  
> I pretend modern cell phones existed in the '90s, because I’m having so much fun writing these text messages.  
> I also have a large collection of fake iPhone Wesker messages which you can find here: https://www.deviantart.com/konoko88/gallery/73129453/albert-wesker-fake-iphone-messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been writing these Wesker fanfictions for quite a while, and decided to finally put them together, but in separate chapters. More stories will be added later. Practical Al and Scholar Will are canon nicknames, by the way.  
> I pretend modern cell phones existed in the '90s, because I’m having so much fun writing these text messages.  
> I also have a large collection of fake iPhone Wesker messages which you can find here: https://www.deviantart.com/konoko88/gallery/73129453/albert-wesker-fake-iphone-messages

Working late

1990

Wesker and Birkin were among those scientists at Umbrella who often stayed in the lab until late night, completely dedicated to their research. Wesker was sitting at the desk, typing away on the computer. Birkin was behind him, lying on a couch, and had been oddly silent for a while.

“Al, I’m feeling sick,” Birkin groaned, putting his hand on his forehead.

“What am I supposed to do about it?” Wesker said nonchalantly, not even looking behind.

“Thanks for your sympathy, _friend_. I think I got the stupid flu.”

Minutes passed, and William didn’t stop groaning, which angered Wesker greatly. He already managed to make Birkin break his annoying pen clicking habit, which always drove Wesker up the wall.

“William, will you do me a favor, and continue dying in the other room? It’s impossible to concentrate like this,” Wesker snapped at him. “Why don’t you go home anyway…take sick leave for once?”

“Illness won’t stop me from doing my research.”

Birkin had always been very stubborn, and Wesker knew it was pointless to try to convince him. Being his friend and colleague for 13 years taught him that already. He reached into the pocket of his lab coat, and threw some painkillers over his shoulder at Birkin, still not turning back. He always carried painkillers with him since he often suffered from severe headaches, although he usually didn’t know what had caused them.

“Thanks,” Birkin said as he caught it. “I just realized something. I’ve known you since you were 17, but you’ve never been sick. Don’t know how you do it.”

Wesker just grunted. He often wondered about that himself. Aside from headaches, he hadn’t really had any serious illnesses. He certainly had excellent genes, especially concerning his good looks. Ever since he started working here, the women had gone crazy. He smiled at the thought.

“Just take the medicine already,” he said, finally turning around and resting one elbow on the back of the chair.

William slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, and swallowed the pill.

“It’s almost midnight. I’ll go home now,” Wesker said, looking at his watch. 

“I’ll stay for a while, try to do something productive,” Birkin said, as he got up.

That was when Birkin’s phone started ringing, and Wesker recognized the ringtone.

“It seems Anette has made the decision for you,” he stated, amused.

William knitted his eyebrows, and scratched his head.

“Damn it,” he muttered, and answered the phone.

As Wesker was gathering his things, he heard that it didn’t take long for Anette to persuade William to go home. Wesker gave Birkin a wave while heading for the door, and Birkin did the same, disappointment written all over his face.

“Henpecked husband,” Wesker chuckled to himself and shook his head as he walked outside.


	2. Lisa

Lisa

1990

It was already late at night in the Arklay laboratory when Wesker arrived. He wasn’t surprised to see Birkin still being there.

“Hey, I just dropped by to check a few things, I won’t stay long,” Wesker said casually.

“Al, something terrible happened while you were out,” Birkin yelled, terrified. “Lisa somehow managed to free herself, and roamed the place for quite a while. You have no idea how scary that was! I had to lock myself in the room to avoid her.”

“The mercenaries took care of her, I presume?” Wesker asked in an almost bored voice.

“Yes, but a couple of Cerberuses got out as well. Perhaps she let them out.”

“The security here is pathetic. Let the U.B.C.S. handle it, it’s their job.”

“I’m not entirely sure they found all of them. I don’t trust these people.”

“You know the Cerberus is not the kind of B.O.W. which lies still. If they won’t find the dogs, the dogs will certainly find them instead.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. It’s not safe to go outside.”

“I’ve just arrived, and saw nothing. Don’t worry, William.”

“I parked my car under the trees for better shade, very close to the woods…and it’s also quite down the road. How am I gonna drive home after this? Maybe I should call Anette to take me home with the other car,” Birkin said nervously.

“Seriously, Will… get over it already, you’re overreacting,” Wesker said, then sighed. “But I can take you home if you want to.”

“Really? Thank you so much!”

Birkin waited for Wesker to do the things he came for, then they headed for the entrance, where Wesker’s car was parked. Birkin was visibly scared, eyeing everything as if he expected someone or something would attack them.

“I don’t like this. It’s awfully quiet…,” Birkin whined.

“We’re in the middle of the woods,” Wesker stated. He rolled his eyes and started the car.

The journey from the lab to Birkin’s house didn’t take too long, but it seemed like an eternity for Wesker. Birkin was creeped out by a lot of things, stating that he saw strange things outside.

“William, will you stop freaking out every 5 minutes?! I can’t drive like this!” Wesker said angrily. He tucked his sunglasses into the pocket of his shirt, because even those irritated him at this moment. “ _And here I thought William cannot get any more paranoid…_ ”

Suddenly, Birkin’s phone started buzzing and ringing, which literally made the man jump. Even Wesker got scared a little bit.

“Oh, it’s just Anette.” Birkin said with a sigh of relief, while clutching his heart “Hi, honey. Yes, I’m on my way already. I’ll be home soon.”

Anette opened the door for William when they arrived. Wesker also got out of the car to greet her.

“William, is something wrong with your car?” Anette asked, surprised.

“Yes, but nothing serious, I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

Birkin let out a short, nervous laugh. Wesker was standing beside him with a poker face, but rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, which he had put back on in the meantime. William had decided he wouldn’t tell his wife what really happened, in order not to scare her, although Anette wasn’t really a nervous type.

“Well, thank you Albert, for helping William out.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Anette went back to the house, and William waited for a short time before turning back to Wesker, who was now walking back to his car.

“Thanks for your help, Al.”

“Goodbye, Will. And take a Xanax, for God’s sake,” Wesker said angrily, slamming the door of his car as he got in.


	3. Visiting the R.P.D. station

**Visiting the R.P.D. station**

**1997** **  
**

Birkin was walking down the corridors of the R.P.D. with the intention of speaking with Irons. It was an ordinary early afternoon, and the station was crowded with people. Suddenly, he recognized Wesker, who was coming towards him, with a pile of papers in one hand, and coffee in the other. He had a bored expression on his face, but frowned when he noticed Birkin. William was also surprised, but he immediately cheered up when he saw his friend.

“Oh, hi there,” Birkin said, and waived at him.

Wesker’s blood pressure immediately increased because of Birkin’s stupidity. Officially, they didn’t know each other, he was a spy here. How could he have forgotten something so important?! Not to mention visiting Irons at peak time, when everyone could see him! At least this must have been the reason he was here, and on this particular corridor. So much for discretion. He tried his best to stay calm and collected.

“Good afternoon, Sir. Is there anything I can help you with?” Wesker asked in a polite tone, with his usual poker face.

“Why are you so - ?” Birkin said confused, but stopped talking when Wesker sent him an angry glare. His facial expression quickly changed however, when two policemen passed them.

“I’m sorry but we only take care of special problems. You might want to talk to my colleagues on the first floor.” Wesker said loudly, and pointed Birkin in the right direction.

Birkin’s eyes widened when he realized his mistake at last.

“Oh, yes…thank you,” Birkin stuttered, and left quickly, even forgetting what he originally wanted in embarrassment.

Shortly afterwards, Wesker was sitting in his office, leaning back in his chair. He ran his fingers through his hair with a satisfied smile. The others went out for lunch, so he allowed himself to be visibly amused. Just as he expected, he received a message from Birkin.

**“Geez Al, I’m so sorry about our conversation before. For a minute, I totally forgot our ’safety protocol’.”**

**“I’ve decided that I won’t make a comment on that. Feel yourself lucky.”**

**“In my defense, I’ve only slept 3 hours today.”**

**“Why am I not surprised?”**

Wesker put his cell on the desk, and began to read one of the documents. Soon, another message came from Birkin. A smile lingered at the corner of his mouth, as he reached for his phone.

**“Albert, I know I made a mistake and already apologized for it. There was no need for that parking fine…”**

**“On the contrary, there was. You needed an alibi, since you came here, and even talked to me.”**

**“How nice of you, really!”**

**“Don’t mention it.”**

**“I bet you’re laughing now.”**

**“Indeed, I am.”**

Standing at his car, Birkin put the fine resentfully in his pocket and headed back to the station. Of course, what else could he have expected from Wesker? He wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to punish him. He was such a jerk sometimes.


	4. Uncool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate the new Carlos, both his looks and his personality. I think he would outrage Wesker if they met. :P  
> I also ship Wesker x Jill.

**Uncool**

**March 1998**

Jill was sitting at her desk in the S.T.A.R.S. office, when the door opened and a man whom she didn’t recognize entered. He wore civilian clothes, but he was well-built enough to be a soldier or a police officer. He was rather handsome, that bushy hair of his was terrible though…He said he wanted to speak with Wesker. Jill looked confused, since strangers almost never stepped into their room, but she pointed him in the right direction nevertheless. He thanked Jill and winked at her, making it clear that he was a womanizer.

“Hello, I’m Carlos Oliviera. I’d like to join S.T.A.R.S,” the man said to the Captain.

Wesker raised his eyebrows, and the disapproval on his face was evident even with his sunglasses on. He stood up and extended his hand to greet the man – formalities were a must, after all – but he already felt resentful towards him. This was reinforced after Carlos revealed his problematic past.

“This is not a club,” Wesker finally said with a low, almost threatening voice. “We are professionals. Come back when you have a decent haircut. Now get out.”

The next thing Jill noticed was the man exiting from Wesker’s office, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Maybe we’ll see each other again, pretty lady” he said to Jill with a wink, then left the office.

“ _Unbelievable,_ ” Wesker was fuming inside. He even had the guts to flirt with Shortie...aka Jill. _His Jill_. Wesker had always been territorial, and even the slightest of ‘dangers’ like this made him tense. The Captain hadn’t asked her out on a date yet, but it was inevitable eventually. He just waited for the right time.

“What happened? Who was he, Captain?” Jill asked curiously, standing in the doorway of Wesker's office.

Wesker just grunted in frustration, while he leant back in his chair. Jill could tell that he was in a bad mood, and she was about to return to her work, when Wesker calmly said.

“He wanted to join us, but I didn’t approve. He looks like a damn poodle, for God’s sake.”

“Forest has long hair too,” Jill pointed out.

“Indeed. Except Forest can see despite it.”

Jill laughed at this, how Wesker said all of these with a poker face.

*

“ _I wonder how long his hair is when he doesn’t slick it back with gel._ ” Jill thought absentmindedly, as she watched Wesker sorting some papers in the office. Whenever he came out of his own office, Jill was staring at him as if the man was the Eighth Wonder of the World. She was glad that her desk was so close to her Captain’s office, even if it distracted her often.

“Jill…psst…Jill!” said Barry, who sat next to her, trying to get her attention.

“What?!” she asked, irritated.

“You should stare at him less openly you know,” Barry whispered, while trying to hold back a laugh.

“Shut up,” she retorted and blushed.

“Just sayin’,” Barry shrugged and smirked.

Originally, she was reluctant to join STARS when she got the offer, but as soon as she saw who her boss would be, any bad feelings about the job just vanished.

That new guy from the other day hadn’t returned, and knowing Wesker, he probably scared him off for good. Wesker by nature had such demanding aura around him that made everyone fall in line when he spoke.

*

In the afternoon Wesker told Jill to accompany him on a patrol, which surprised her, since he usually did that alone. She was beyond happy, nevertheless, and she even felt honored.

Nothing special had happened until they stopped at a gas station, because Jill wanted to grab some soda. As she exited the door and walked back to the police car, she saw Wesker communicating on his radio with the dispatcher, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. She quickly got back in the car.

“We've got a call. Have you ever been involved in a car chase, Jill?” Wesker asked calmly.

She shook her head.

“Now’s your chance,” Wesker smiled, then started driving at high speed.

Jill gulped. She hated driving fast, but she would never admit it to him. Damn it, they were having such a good time, but now some idiot criminal had to ruin it.

Wesker kept his usual poker face and calmness throughout the whole chase, and when he managed to force the suspect off the road using a pit maneuver, he smirked in triumph.

*

“Captain! What happened?” asked Chris when Wesker and Jill arrived back to the office. They were supposed to have a team meeting, and they were already late.

“Nothing special, we just got involved in a car chase. It was good for a change,” Wesker said nonchalantly as he threw his jacket on a chair.

“A car chase? Damn, you’re so lucky, I’ve never been to one,” Chris said excitedly.

Jill thought otherwise, still having knots in her stomach.

“Not the kind of romantic cruising you were expecting, right?” Brad whispered to Jill, teasing her. He was careful not to speak loudly, so Wesker wouldn’t hear them. Nobody dared to mess with the Captain, they knew well he wasn’t a person who appreciated such jokes.

Jill elbowed Brad in the stomach in response, which made him bend forward from the pain.

”I was just joking, damn!” Brad groaned.

Wesker was quick to return to their schedule, and called the meeting. Whenever they had a team meeting, trying to concentrate on what Wesker was saying instead of admiring his looks was a real challenge to Jill. Plus, he was a great leader. Everyone respected and trusted him for his professionalism and exceptional abilities.

At the end of the workday Wesker noticed Jill walking toward her car in the parking lot. He considered her the best in the team, and that said a lot, because Wesker had high standards for pretty much everything. The way she handled herself well under difficult circumstances, like in today’s dangerous situation, made him proud.

The hell with it. He would call her out today.

“Jill, wait,” he shouted to her.

Jill had a surprised look on her face, as she stopped and waited for him to walk up to her. He took his glasses off, staring into her eyes. That in itself made Jill’s legs weak, and she struggled not to faint on the spot.

“We should grab a drink tomorrow. What do you say?” Wesker asked in a casual tone.

 _Don’t blush, don’t you dare to blush!_ Jill said to herself.

“Sounds great!” she replied with a smile, feeling relief that she didn’t turn red.

“Good. See you tomorrow,” Wesker said with a contended smile, and got inside his car.

Everything was under control, just the way he liked it. The day was far from over though, and his good mood didn’t last long…

*

Later that evening, Wesker visited Birkin in his lab, to see how the man’s research had been going. Wesker was one of the few people whom Birkin trusted, and felt comfortable to share information with about his prized G-virus. Just as usual, the man had dark circles under his eyes, and an obsessed expression on his face.

Following a lengthy and enthusiastic conversation – William did love talking about his research – the CCTV monitors in the room turned themselves on.

“The U.B.C.S. team has just moved out,” William stated, giving only a quick glance at them while rummaging through his research papers.

Wesker looked at the monitors with his arms crossed, and knitted his eyebrows.

“You got to be kidding me,” he grunted.

“What’s the problem?” Birkin asked, confused.

It was Carlos whom Wesker saw walking among the mercenaries.

“I know this idiot,” he said disdainfully. “He wanted to join S.T.A.R.S. a couple of days ago, but I sent him away. You can’t be part of an elite squad looking like this. Umbrella has truly lowered their standards, it seems…”

“You should avoid him then, it would be unfortunate if he realized who you work for,”

Wesker didn’t answer, so Birkin continued half-jokingly.

“You know what? Ditch the glasses and the hair gel, maybe he won’t recognize you that way. It’s been ages since you wore your hair without using gel anyway,”

“No. It suits me just fine. And I won’t stay away from the lab because of such fools. There’s only one way left: to get rid of him.”

Birkin sighed. He wouldn’t have exactly called Wesker bloodthirsty, but ever since he had joined the army, he became more violent. Not that the work at Umbrella wasn’t morally questionable, to say the least, but still…

“In the end, that’s always your solution, isn’t it?”

“Of course. And I’m going to enjoy every minute of it,” Wesker said, and chuckled darkly.

“This sounds personal…is there a woman involved, too? I know you, Al.”

“He tried to hit on Jill. You remember who she is?”

“Yeah, I remember. Now I don’t have any questions left.”

“I’ll alert Umbrella to pay more attention to their recruits. They should at least check where these men worked or wanted to work, to avoid trouble like this in the future.”

“I agree,” Birkin nodded. “But I hope you don’t intend to kill him right now.”

“No. I’m still trying to decide how to end him,” Wesker replied, a devilish smile appearing on his face. “The Neptune has been neglected lately, for instance.”

“That’ll be gruesome, for sure,” Birkin said nonchalantly, more focused on his research than such trivial matters like the fate of a mercenary. “So, will you take a look at the evolved Lickers?”

“Certainly,” Wesker answered, and followed Birkin to the lower level labs.


	5. The accident

**The accident**

**May 1998**

“ _That’s strange, he’s never late_ ,” Jill thought, as she was waiting for Wesker in front of the man’s home. Since today they were assigned to the opposite ends of the city, they agreed to meet at his home after work, instead of the R.P.D. station.

She leaned against her car, enjoying the warm spring sunshine. Wesker’s car pulled into the driveway not much later.

“Hey,” she greeted him happily, as he got out of his car.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Wesker apologized. “I had a crazy day.”

They kissed, then he put an arm around her shoulder and escorted her inside.

He threw his keys on the kitchen table, and placed his sunglasses next to them. Jill noticed that Wesker was moving strangely – too rigid, too slow. It seemed that he was in a lot of pain.

“What’s wrong?” Jill asked, confused.

“I fell...” that was all he said.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Fell? From where?”

“You know that we were called to an armed robbery, and I fell from a roof during the chase.”

“Ouch. Did you catch the suspects?”

“Of course, we did. But it’s a long story, and I really don’t feel like discussing it right now.”

Wesker took his blue S.T.A.R.S. shirt off, then leaned forward to get something out of the fridge. She heard him muttering curse words under his breath, while he was rummaging through the freezer.

By now Jill already knew that whatever they had planned for today failed with him being in this state, so she grabbed a soda, and took a seat on the couch. She felt too tired to go home. 

“You should see a doctor,” Jill suggested.

“I don’t need to. It’s not that bad.”

“I get it. You’re a tough man who cannot show weakness, especially in front of the team. However, even the best has accidents or illnesses sometimes. In other words: shit happens.”

“Not to me,” Wesker retorted, holding a bag of frozen peas in his hand.

He slowly sat down on the couch next to Jill and slouched. He pulled his T-shirt up, revealing a large bruise. Putting the frozen peas on his aching side, he gritted his teeth in order not to make a sound, still trying his best not to seem weak. For some reason, Jill found the whole scene amusing, but knowing how short-tempered Wesker could be in private, she held back a laugh to avoid angering him further.

Wesker took the remote control and turned the TV on with a sullen expression on his face. Jill thought it was best if she left him alone. She just lay down next to him, careful not to touch his injury, and covered herself with a blanket. Sometimes, his presence in itself made her calm and feel safe.

The next morning, she got up earlier than Wesker, and said to him while he was half-asleep:

“I’m going home to pick my stuff up. Are you sure you want to come to the office today?”

“Don’t ask that question again,” Wesker replied with a threatening voice, suddenly becoming more awake.

“See you at the office then,” she said with a shrug and headed for the door.

*

Jill was watching Wesker from the corner of her eye, noticing he silently winced from the pain, and shifted position in his chair. But he did a great job at hiding it from the others, who didn’t notice anything. She quietly walked into his office, stopped next to him, and caressed his shoulder.

“You’re still in one piece?” she asked softly.

“Don’t!” Wesker hissed, and pushed her hand away angrily. He jerked his head towards their team members, indicating that he didn’t want them to see that they were in a relationship. “Jill, I really don’t have time for this. You’re acting like we were married, and I don’t like that,” Wesker whispered.

Jill just let out a laugh, and left. Wesker sighed in frustration. He had a feeling that it was just a matter of time before it would be clear to everyone that something was going on between the two of them. He and Jill agreed to keep it as a secret, because knowing their colleagues, they would have probably joked about it constantly.

On top of all that, Irons chose the worst day to visit them in their office, trying to bond with his subordinates. He sometimes did that unexpectedly, which was kind of awkward and strange, since Irons was anything but a nice man. When Irons entered the room, Jill’s and Wesker’s eyes met, and she quickly averted her gaze to her papers, trying not to laugh when she saw how tense Wesker got.

The team members gathered at their desks, listening to their boss. Wesker, who was standing next to Irons, stood there like a statue, still being in pain.

“All in all, S.T.A.R.S. is doing a great job!” Irons finished his speech with the praise, then he nudged Wesker’s side with his elbow. _His injured side._ Seeing Wesker clenching his jaw, Jill began laughing so hard that tears fell from her eyes, and she wanted nothing but to retreat to the bathroom to hide. But if she had done that, both Wesker and Irons would have given her trouble. So, she hid behind her computer instead.

“What’s wrong with you, Jill?” Chris asked quietly.

She just waved her hand dismissively, and continued giggling.

“I don’t know, but she has lost it apparently,” Joseph commented.

Wesker shot a warning glare in Jill’s direction. Brad, who was standing next to Jill, shrugged with a nervous grin on his face. He always felt intimated by Wesker, even if the man rarely berated him.

Not long afterwards Irons had left, some of the people from the Bravo team came over from the neighboring office as well.

“Did you throw a party with Irons or something? We heard a lot of laughing,” Forest said with a grin.

“That was only Jill,” Chris said, and rolled his eyes. “She had a laugh attack, but she refuses to tell us what’s so funny.”

Wesker’s face darkened, but he didn’t say anything.

“We usually don’t get that happy when the boss visits us,” Richard grinned and shrugged, then he and Forest left.

Barry covered his face with his hand, thinking it wasn’t a good idea to say such things about Irons in front of Wesker. He had also figured out that Jill was laughing at Wesker for some reason, but he was clever enough not to share his suspicions with anyone.

Wesker too, went back to his desk. A little later, when he managed to calm down, he called Jill into his office.

“Uh-oh, I just knew he wouldn’t let that go,” Chris commented.

“I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes now,” Brad shuddered.

Jill didn’t respond, she was still trying to pull herself together.

Wesker sat in his chair with a resentful expression on his face. He was spinning his pen wildly in his hand, which implied he still wasn’t as calm as he wanted to be.

“Jill...” he began, when she took a seat in front of him.

“I’m sorry, really,” she said, but couldn’t hide her amusement.

“I’m glad you were enjoying yourself,” Wesker said coldly. “We’re doing serious business here.”

“Sure,” Jill said, still smiling.

“You should restrain yourself, especially if it involves me.”

“Alright.”

Wesker abruptly got up from his seat and leaned his face so close to Jill’s that their lips almost touched.

“By the way, you have to make up for it in private,” he said with a smirk.

Jill’s face turned red, but she replied with a flirtatious smile:

“I think we can arrange that, Captain.”

*

Wesker needed to visit Birkin at his lab, so he headed there when he finished at the R.P.D.

Birkin still found it strange how Wesker was wandering around the lab in his police uniform whenever he visited them right after the end of his shift. When Wesker had first appeared at the NEST dressed like this, the new recruits thought the police raided the place, because their illegal activities had been revealed. One of the employees almost fainted from stress. Wesker and Birkin had been laughing at this for days.

“What happened to you? You got into some trouble while you were on patrol?” Birkin asked, immediately noticing that Wesker was injured.

“Not you too…” Wesker said with gritted teeth.

“Have you been to a doc-“ Birkin began, but Wesker interrupted him furiously.

“No! I diagnosed myself, and it’s just a bruise.”

“Alright, forget that I asked. Someone’s in a terrible mood today,” Birkin said, and shook his head.

Later Wesker was standing in front of the pool where a Neptune was kept, with his hands in his pockets. He liked sharks, they were beautiful creatures. He found it unfortunate that the Neptune project wasn’t as successful as expected, and was neglected. It was one of the first projects he and William had been assigned to when they were trainees.

“Ah, here you are! I’ve been looking for you.” Wesker heard Birkin yelling behind him as he entered the room. “Are you feeling nostalgic, or just trying to distract yourself from the pain?” he asked half-jokingly, as he walked up next to him.

“Both,” Wesker simply said.

All of a sudden, the shark jumped out of the water trying to bite them, forcing Birkin to jump back. Wesker on the other hand didn’t move an inch, he knew the animal couldn’t reach them, although just barely. Their shoes got wet from all the water the shark splashed across the room. A smile was playing around the corners of Wesker's mouth. 

“Whoa...that was close!” Birkin screamed in fear. “She’s become more aggressive since the last time I saw her. That was enough water park experience for me, I guess. I need to dry myself off.”

They were bantering as usual, as Birkin escorted Wesker out to his car.

“You can’t catch criminals if you move this slow, you know,” Birkin teased.

“And you need more coffee. You’re barely standing,” Wesker countered, smirking.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Wesker said, and reached inside his car, pulling a pistol out. He turned to Birkin. “You asked me to get you a new gun, so take it.”

With that, he handed the Beretta to Birkin.

“Thank you,” Birkin said as he examined the weapon. “Looks good enough.”

“ _It is the best_. I have this type too, and I only choose the best in everything.”

“Sure, how could I have forgotten?” Birkin replied and rolled his eyes.

Wesker had just got inside his car when his phone buzzed. He read the message and smiled to himself.

“How are things going with your cop girlfriend?” Birkin asked, figuring out it was Jill who sent the message. It was rare to see Wesker smile like that.

“Great. Everything’s fine.”

“This situation with her is quite risky, I mean you being a spy and all. It may be too much even for you, Al,” Birkin shook his head.

“I never miss opportunities. Besides, I always get what I want,” he smirked.

“Sure, you do,” William smirked back. “Just be careful, ok?”

They waved goodbye to each other, and Wesker started driving to Jill’s home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know there weren’t any sharks in Birkin’s lab, but I just love the Neptune. :)


	6. Captain Wesker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wesker is having a blast as a police officer. :P

Captain Wesker

1996

The door opened, and two of the new employees at the NEST came in running to Birkin’s office, breathless.

“Dr. Birkin, something bad is happening…” one of the men said, his face as white as a ghost, his voice faltering. “The police are here.”

“The police?” Birkin asked in disbelief. “That’s impossible!”

He checked one of the security cameras. He became confused when he saw Wesker standing around in the reception room, in his S.T.A.R.S. uniform. His friend had joined the police a few months ago, and they hadn’t met in person since then. It didn’t bother Birkin that Wesker was here. His uniform was his problem. Birkin walked to the entrance in a hurry. 

“What is the meaning of this, Al?” Birkin asked, worry evident in his voice.

“What are you talking about?” Wesker asked, and raised his eyebrows.

“I was told the police are raiding us.”

Wesker furrowed his brows, looked behind his back, then turned back to Birkin and crossed his arms.

“Do you see anyone with me?”

“No…I guess.”

“I’ve only come to see how your research is going,” Wesker chuckled. “I’ve just got off work.”

“I’m gonna kill these new recruits, they almost gave me a heart attack,” Birkin said and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He escorted Wesker inside, and decided it’d be best if he introduced him to the new staff members.

“Alright, people. Those of you who don’t know him yet, this is Dr. Wesker, also employed by Umbrella, and he’s part of our secret activities.”

Wesker smirked, enjoying the terror he had caused. He had never regretted his choice to join the police, him having so much power felt perfect.

“I just love how some people get utterly terrified by the mere sight of the police,” he chuckled darkly, as he and Birkin entered Birkin’s office.

“Well, the stakes are really high here,” Birkin said and he chuckled too.

“Actually, you’re paranoid too, so you employing paranoid people isn’t much of a surprise,” Wesker said sarcastically.

Before Birkin could reply, Anette and Sherry appeared at the doorway, and they greeted each other.

Sherry wore a T-shirt which had the periodic table printed on it, and it said _I wear this shirt periodically_. Wesker couldn’t help but smile at that. It would be a miracle if the girl wouldn’t become a scientist too, growing up in a family like this.

“Don’t mind him, Anette. He’s just showing off in the uniform,” Birkin smirked.

“Except I don’t need to wear this to make it clear no one should pick a fight with me.” Wesker said, being full of himself.

“I’ve heard you caused quite a confusion here,” Anette said, amused. “But you parading here as a cop could boost the morale here, you know.”

Sherry sat next to Wesker on the couch he was sitting on. It was clear she was bored out of her mind, she had to be here quite often and wait for her parents to finish work and take her home.

“It’s a pity I can’t visit you at the R.P.D. I’d like to see you barking orders as a cop,” Birkin teased while typing away at his computer. “We were about to perform a test now, so you’ve come at the right time. It shouldn’t take too long to start.”

“Go on, I’ll converse with Sherry in the meantime,” Wesker said and looked at the girl. “Nice T-shirt, by the way,” he praised, which earned a smile from Sherry.

“Thanks. Dad bought it for me,” she said proudly.

“Yes, I had a feeling it was him,” Wesker smirked.

*

1998

“Captain Wesker, I’ve found this calculation, but I can’t really figure it out. It could be important, since it has Umbrella’s logo on it,” Rebecca said to Wesker as she handed him a piece of paper.

Wesker was surprised to see Rebecca in his office, but he was even more surprised at what she told him. She asked for his help because beside her, he was the only one who had a degree in biology. Wesker took a look at the paper and his heart skipped a few beats. He instantly recognized the handwriting…and the signature at the bottom of the sheet.

“ _William, I’ll kill you for this,”_ he thought angrily.

Rebecca asked some questions, trying to understand Birkin’s analysis, and Wesker couldn’t stop rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses at what she was saying. Sure, she was talented, especially for her age, but she would never meet Umbrella’s standards.

“ _Rebecca, this is so easy. How can’t you understand it?_ ” Wesker thought annoyed, and felt a great urge to spit the solution out, but he knew better, obviously. He fooled Rebecca by saying it wasn’t anything important they needed to worry about.

Not much later, Wesker walked casually outside the building to the now deserted parking lot, with the intention to get some fresh air and make a call. Only after making sure it couldn’t be traced, of course. It didn’t take long for Birkin to answer the phone.

“Guess what the Bravo team found near the forest,” Wesker said without greeting, trying to contain his anger. “A piece of paper of your G project, with your signature on it…I thought you might want to know.”

There was a short silence on the other end of the line.

“Damn it...if this is getting out...,” Birkin muttered.

“It won’t. I’m going to spend the next hour figuring out how to make this paper disappear by an unfortunate accident. That’s why I’m here at S.T.A.R.S, right? To get rid of evidence some careless people leave at the wrong places. Meanwhile, you should start thinking about how the hell did you lose something so important like this, because **I’m fucking curious about it** , really,” Wesker said angrily, raising his voice with each sentence.

Wesker ended the call, and Birkin knew he was very angry now. He gulped. Being his friend or not, Wesker as a police officer was downright terrifying sometimes. Birkin hoped he wouldn’t end up in an interrogation room, and Wesker wouldn’t shine a bright light at his face while he went full police mode.

As for the damned paper, it must have fallen out of his pocket, where he sometimes tucked his sketches.

“You seem stressed, William,” Anette said later, while they ate dinner at home.

“It’s just Wesker. I hate it when he can’t step outside his police officer mode. I think he even threatened me…” he complained with a morose look on his face.

“I dare him to do that,” Anette said challengingly. “What happened, exactly?”

That was when William’s phone started ringing, and he answered it.

“I’m here, come outside,” Wesker said, then hung up.

“What the heck?” Birkin muttered, as he peaked out the window. Wesker was standing in front of his police cruiser with his arms crossed. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said to Anette, then walked outside, stopping on the top of the stairs.

“Hello, Al. What happened?” he asked with some annoyance in his voice.

Wesker took a few steps forward.

“So, William…,” he said with a serious tone, and reached for the gun on his police duty belt. “I’m afraid I’ll have to take you into custody.”

The blood drained from Birkin’s face, and Wesker started laughing at his frightened expression.

“Relax, I'm only joking. I’m not even angry anymore, you know I’m a short-tempered person.”

“Why do you have to be such a jerk?” Birkin yelled angrily.

“It was all worth it just to see the look on your face,” Wesker continued laughing. “I’m on patrol. I had to pass this area, and thought I’d pay you a visit.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much, Al.”

Sherry appeared from behind Birkin’s back.

“Uncle Wesker, can I see your car, please?” she asked excitedly.

“Of course, Sherry,” Wesker said with a smile.

She ran up to him, and that was when Wesker saw the T-shirt the girl was wearing. ‘ _Science: it’s like magic but real_ ’ it said. Another science T-shirt. Seriously, where did they get these things?

By now Anette came outside as well, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Why is he here, William?” she asked.

“Oh, he’s just showing off, as usual,” Birkin said and rolled his eyes.

“Why don’t you ask him about the burglary that happened on our street yesterday?”

“Anette, come on! This is Albert we’re talking about!”

“I’m serious. It’s his job, after all,” Anette reasoned. “He’s not just a spy, he’s a real officer.”

“Just give it a rest, will you?”

Anette waved her hand dismissively at this, then walked up to Wesker, who was in the middle of explaining something to Sherry. It turned out that Wesker didn’t find Anette’s inquiry strange, moreover, he was ready to help. They were conversing about the burglary the way they did about the B.O.W. projects.

Birkin rolled his eyes again. Seemed like everyone went crazy today. And if someone had told him before that Albert would be a police officer someday, he wouldn't have believed it.

Even after getting back to his car, Wesker still chuckled at how he managed to scare William so much. That will teach him not to leave his things carelessly behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These T-shirts Sherry is wearing actually exist. :D I also couldn’t resist putting some Uncle Al moments in this story.


	7. Hunters can open doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day when Wesker and Birkin discovered that Hunters can open doors.

Hunters can open doors

1984

The Hunter project had been going for a while with excellent results, and Birkin, who had created this B.O.W, was more than proud of this accomplishment. He and Wesker were taking a short break in the lab where the Hunters were kept, one of the monsters being in a room with a viewing window for inspection. The young scientists were in their early in their 20s, and they were laughing and having a lighthearted conversation about the weekend, when suddenly they heard the door open. They turned to see who it was, and froze.

_It was the Hunter, and it managed to open the door somehow._

They looked at each other with terrified looks on their faces, then began sprinting to another room, knocking their chairs over in the process. Birkin, who was running in front of Wesker, wasn’t as fast as Wesker was, which made Wesker panic even more, so he aggressively pushed Birkin inside the room. Birkin almost fell over, and Wesker quickly locked the door. They pushed a desk in front of the door, and holding it with their hands.

“What the actual fuck? What?!” Wesker was yelling at the top of his lungs.

“An employee said it can open doors, but I didn’t believe him, I thought he was just making excuses not to work alone at night,” Birkin stuttered, scared beyond belief.

“Are you an idiot, Will?” Wesker yelled angrily. “It will fuckin’ tear us apart! You should have-“

He stopped talking when the Hunter began banging on the door with such force that it was questionable if they could keep the monster outside.

After a minute or so, they heard several gunshots outside, and the pounding on the door finally stopped.

“It’s the security, they’ve arrived at last,” Birkin panted.

The mercenaries told them it was safe to go outside, so Wesker and Birkin opened the door, only to see the Hunter lying on the floor with several gunshot wounds. Four U.B.C.S. units stood above it, with their assault rifles in their hands. Birkin had mixed feelings about this: on the one hand, he was relieved that he and Wesker survived the incident, but on the other hand, he was frustrated that one of his creations had to be killed off.

After the monster got disposed of, Birkin saw Wesker crouch down and look for something on the floor.

“What are you doing?” Birkin asked.

“I’m looking for my sunglasses. They have fallen off,” Wesker answered calmly, as he reached under a table. 

“We almost died, and all you care for is your shades. You have strange priorities,” Birkin commented, and shook his head. “Alright. From now on, rule number one is: Always lock the doors.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Wesker said as he cleaned his sunglasses, and placed them on his nose.

*

At lunch, Wesker and Birkin sat in front of each other at the cafeteria. Wesker had already eaten his food, but Birkin just sat there in silence, staring at his food, and occasionally mumbling something to himself. It seemed that he was in shock because of recent events.

“The chicken tastes fine,” Wesker said, implying that Birkin should start eating.

The man just shook his head in response, his eyes wide open. Wesker sighed. They simply didn’t have time for a post-traumatic stress disorder now, they had to continue working on the project.

All of a sudden, Anette entered the cafeteria, and headed towards them.

“Anette is coming this way, so pull yourself together!” Wesker warned his friend.

William and Anette had just started to get close to each other, and Wesker didn’t want Birkin to ruin his chances with her by acting stupid and awkward. The other day the man was talking for almost two hours straight about how beautiful and intelligent Anette was, and that was more than enough to drive Wesker up the wall. He had wished these two began a relationship, so William would calm down at last.

Anette sat next to them with a concerned look on her face.

“So, will you tell me what happened in Lab 2?” she questioned them.

Birkin looked up, and smiled awkwardly at Anette.

“Apparently, the Hunter can open doors,” Wesker replied. “We’ve found that out ourselves, being unwilling test subjects.”

“Really?” she said with surprise.

She became so excited that she dropped her fork by accident, and the sound made William jump off his seat in fear. Wesker grabbed his arm and pushed him back down.

“Chill out, William,” he said, annoyed.

“I’m so excited to be part of this project!” Anette continued enthusiastically, as if nothing had happened. “That’s a fantastic development, Dr. Birkin!”

“That’s what I was saying too,” Wesker commented.

“It is,” Birkin said with a smile, finally forming a sentence. “But I wish we found that out by other means. It’s not everyday that your own B.O.W tries to kill you.” He reached for his fork and started eating at last.

Wesker was watching the two, thinking they couldn’t have chosen a better romantic place than being in the Hunter project together.

*

Not much later, Wesker and Birkin began their preparations for another test. Wesker had realized long ago that it was William whom it was worth it to be in projects with. Birkin came up with great ideas, and managed to make them happen more often than not, despite others telling him they’d never work. Plus, they got along well, and not just because they were almost the same age. Birkin had many conflicts with his other labmates, due to his somewhat anti-social and obsessive personality, but that didn’t bother Wesker too much. In return, Birkin tolerated Wesker’s inflated ego and snide remarks.

“Did you lock the door?” Birkin asked nervously.

“Yes,” Wesker responded with a serious face.

When they were ready, Birkin put his finger on a button, then said:

“Ok, I’m releasing it from the cryotube now. Are you sure you locked the door?”

“If you ask that again, I’ll kill you myself,” came Wesker’s response.

A small chamber with meat in it had been placed inside the room where the monster was released, with the intention to lure the B.O.W. inside. They wanted to know whether other Hunters could open doors or not.

“Alright,” Birkin said, as he let the Hunter out. “Let’s see if you’re as smart as the other one was. Come on, the food’s waiting for you.”

They were watching tensely as the monster was walking back and forth near the door. It didn’t take long before it reached for the door handle, and opened the door so naturally just like a human would.

“It opened it! That was just…wow! We’ll have to celebrate this, Al!” Birkin yelled in triumph.

“This is truly amazing. None of the B.O.W.s have done this before. Not even the zombies,” Wesker said thoughtfully.

“Exactly!” Birkin quickly got up from his seat, pointing a finger at Wesker. “The _first time ever_ in Umbrella’s history. You hear that, Alexia?!” he yelled with crazy light in his eyes.

Wesker chuckled and shook his head. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for William to get back to his old self. Birkin didn’t waste his time and began a really long train of thought, while writing in his notebook at a crazy speed.

Wesker thought that the younger scientist probably drank too much coffee again. That was when he couldn’t stop talking and pacing around. Birkin already had several mugs in front of him on the table. He reached for Wesker’s mug by mistake, and Wesker quickly pulled it towards himself, trying to save his own coffee from him. “Sorry,” Birkin said, then picked up the right one and continued his speech. It was impossible to stockpile enough coffee while Will was around, and Wesker could have sworn that half of Umbrella’s budget was spent on coffee.

“I must tell the good news to Anette!” Birkin suddenly said, and ran out of the room.

Wesker just shrugged and got back to work. It seemed that today was an emotional roller coaster for William.

*

An hour or so had passed, and Wesker was taking notes, when Birkin stormed into the room. Wesker turned in his chair and saw Birkin raising his fist in triumph, with a huge grin on his face.

Wesker raised his eyebrows at this.

“Please, explain,” he said.

“Anette and I are going out tonight.”

“Let me get this straight: you asked her out?”

“I did,” Birkin answered proudly.

“Finally,” Wesker sighed with relief, and smirked.

Now that William got distracted, Wesker maybe got the opportunity to work in peace and quiet, something he could rarely do when his friend was around.

“See you tomorrow,” Birkin waved and headed for the door.

Wesker checked his watch in surprise.

“You’re actually leaving the lab in time? Now that’s what I call a development, William,” Wesker said, amused. Birkin almost never left at the end of the workday, working overtime was the norm for him.

“Just take care of the Hunters, ok?” William said with a bit of worry in his voice.

“They won’t go anywhere. And I’ll make sure they eat and sleep well,” Wesker replied sarcastically.

“You better,” Birkin grinned, and left.


	8. The secret

The secret

1998

“Jill, I can’t find my car keys. Have you seen them?” Wesker shouted in an irritated voice to Jill, who was in the other room, while searching frantically.

As usual, Jill’s apartment was a mess, and chaos reigned everywhere. Wesker’s home was the complete opposite, always neat and tidy. He couldn’t fathom how could she have been so messy.

“Um...no,” Jill answered nonchalantly, with an innocent look on her face, as she walked into the living room. Unlike Wesker, she didn’t need to hurry, since she had to start working later today.

“You could tidy up at least sometimes,” Wesker shook his head in annoyance, and continued searching.

“I’m not a house-proud type, you know,” Jill said simply, and shrugged. 

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Wesker grunted. He would have laughed at this, if there wasn’t the threat of him being late from work. At least she kept her things in the S.T.A.R.S. office relatively in order.

After several minutes of search, he found them at last, under a pile of clothes on the couch. He began to put his jacket on and quickly headed for the door. He yanked it open, and was about to step out into the corridor, only to see Brad Vickers standing there. Brad’s hand was in the air, as he just wanted to ring the bell. This took both of them by surprise, and they froze.

“What’s the problem, Al? Have you lost something else too?” Jill chirped, completely oblivious of Brad’s presence.

“Captain,” that was all Brad was able to groan out, his face becoming white. Wesker saw that he was struggling to find the right words for his question, and he decided that he wouldn’t wait for it.

“Not your business,” Wesker said to him, then ran down the stairs in a hurry.

Brad kept standing there, his thoughts racing. This was definitely the worst Monday morning ever. Since Wesker left the door wide open, Jill finally noticed their teammate.

“Brad! Why are you here?” she asked, confused.

“Last week you asked me to fix your laptop, so here it is,” Brad replied, embarrassed.

“Oh, sure. Sorry, I forgot about that,” she said apologetically. “Thank you very much.”

“I have to go, don’t wanna be late,” Brad said nervously, and sweat began to appear on his face. If he would be late from work, now that he discovered there was something going on between Jill and Wesker, the consequences would be dire. The Captain wouldn’t miss the opportunity to get revenge on him - sort of. He handed the machine to Jill, said his goodbye, and darted off.

Jill chuckled to herself as she shut the door. Brad had always been scared of Wesker, although with good reason, she had to admit that. 

*

Wesker knew well that Brad was the only person in the team who wouldn’t dare to run his mouth, but he made sure to look extra threatening today, just in case.

Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before Brad got completely stressed out. During lunchbreak, when Jill was walking down the corridor, he jumped to her with a distressed look on his face, grabbing both of her arms.

“Jill, I can’t take this anymore,” Brad pleaded with her. “I don’t know exactly what kind of relationship you two are in, and I honestly don’t care. But Wesker has been giving me a hard time ever since we bumped into each other at your apartment. Please do something.”

Jill couldn’t help but laugh. That was so Wesker.

Brad felt more devastated than before. He was being serious, she couldn’t just laugh this off!

“Brad, I’m sorry,” she began. “I can’t do much while we’re at work. But you do realize he likes to scare people, right? He’ll stop eventually.”

“But when?!” Brad cried out.

“Only half a day has passed, and you’re freaking out already? He’ll probably keep on doing this for a few days.”

Seeing that Brad got pale, she added:

“I’ll say something in your defense after work, ok? But only after that. He hates it when I disturb him with private matters here.”

*

It was almost 5 p.m, the end of workday, but Wesker wasn’t anywhere in the office. As long as Jill knew, he didn’t have any particular job this afternoon, and he was still inside the building. Beside her, only Brad was sitting in the room, reading a magazine.

“Brad?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you know where Alb…I mean Wesker is?”

“He’s at the gym,” Brad said simply, and shrugged.

“At this time? What for?” she asked, surprised.

“The others challenged him to a sparring match.”

“Again? They just don’t know when to give up,” she shook her head, annoyed.

Jill knew Wesker would never walk away from a challenge, especially if it was from his own teammates. As far as martial arts went, Wesker mainly practiced Kickboxing, and he was very good at it. Wasn’t he good at everything anyway?

She decided to check on how things were going, and as she was walking down the stairs, she heard a short, painful scream. She entered the gym, and wasn’t surprised at what she saw.

Apparently things got rough. Joseph was kneeling next to the tatami, clutching his side. Chris, who stood next to him, had a bleeding mouth, and a grim expression on his face.

“I can’t believe he defeated us in less than 5 minutes!” Chris said, disappointed.

“I think I’ve lost a kidney…,” Frost groaned. “Does anyone have ice cubes?”

Wesker was sitting further from them in the room, smiling at the corner of his mouth, satisfied. He was lacing his boots, and Jill noticed he didn’t even change his clothes for the fight, and he barely broke a sweat.

“Guess I don’t need to ask who won,” Jill said amused, as she walked up to them. “Are you two done wasting his time?”

“Why do you care?” Chris asked suspiciously.

“It’s annoying, and besides, I need to ask something of him about paperwork,” she answered casually.

*

True to her word, Jill didn’t waste her time to defend Brad. She brought the topic up while they were in Wesker’s car, who was driving her home.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you gave Brad a hard time,” she began cautiously.

“Damn right I did,” Wesker said nonchalantly.

“Come on, Albert. He didn’t commit a crime. Plus, the others noticed the hostility too.”

Wesker was a well-liked and respected leader, so him acting this way caused some confusion among their teammates. He was a strict boss, but he never picked on anyone.

“My intention is to make him keep his mouth shut,” he said with a poker-face and a serious tone.

“I know, alright? But you’ve already made your point,” Jill reasoned.

“What did he want at your place anyway?”

“I gave him my laptop to fix it, and he brought it back. He’s really nice, you know.”

Wesker just hummed.

“So?” Jill asked impatiently, following a short silence.

“So what? Don’t forget that I’m your Captain, so be careful,” Wesker replied with a plain voice.

“Oh, come on,” Jill said frustrated, and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry, Jill,” he answered, and grinned, indicating that he was just teasing her. “I’ll stop. I have better things to do than terrorizing my subordinates.”

*

As Jill put her keys on the desk at home, she looked at the S.T.A.R.S. team photo which she kept there, and smiled. Her being in front of Wesker on the picture was no coincidence. Unknown to Wesker, Jill actually fought for that spot. When the S.T.A.R.S. teammates began to gather for the photo, Jill sneakily but aggressively elbowed everyone aside, to be able to get in front of her boss. That was the best spot, after all.

As usual, Barry was the only one who noticed what was happening. He sighed and shook his head. Jill was crazy for Wesker, and she lost her self-control sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seeing how messy Jill’s apartment was in the Resi 3 remake, I thought she might have been messy before the outbreak too. :D  
> As for martial arts, Wesker has some wonderful Kickboxing moves, and I just can’t stop loving that scene where he kicks Chris’ ass in the Resi 1 Remake. I also practice Kickboxing btw.


End file.
